Wrapping machines



Jan. 1, 1963 w. BARR 3,070,930

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Jan. 17, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet J.

.1 Silk.

Jan. 1, 1963 w. L. BARR 3,070,930

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Jan. 17; 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 d- Adieu) UnitedStates Patent Ofitice 3,070,930 Patented Jan. 1, 1 963 3,070,930WRAPPING MACHINES Walter Lionel Barr, Albion Works, Gainsborough,England, assignor to Rose Brothers (Gainsborough) Limited, Gainsborough,England Filed Jan. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 83,283 Claims priority,application Great Britain Jan. 23, 1960 5 Claims. (Cl. 53-159) Thisinvention relates to wrapping machines of the kind in which a pluralityof articles, e.g., sweets, are arranged end to end and fed as a batch,together with a common wrapper, into a pocket of a wrapping member whichtransports the batch through a series of wrapping stations to completethe [folding of the common wrapper about the batch, successive batchesbeing fed to successive pockets of the wrapping member. The articles maythemselves be individually wrapped before being formed into the batches.

The invention is concerned with the formation of the batches and theirtransfer to the pocketed wrapping member.

According to the present invention, there is provided a wrapping machineof the above kind, comprising a collecting channel adapted to receivearticles in succession end to end to form successive batches, saidchannel having at least one of its side walls movable upwardly anddownwardly, an intermediate pliatforlm arranged alongside the channel,means for moving the movable side wall downwardly clear of eachsuccessive batch as it is formed, means for transferring the batchtransversely from the open side of the channel on to the intermediateplatform, means associated with the intermediate platform forconstraining the successive batches in an endwise direction, eachsuccessive batch being transferred to the intermediate platform itselfserving to transfer the preceding batch from the intermediate platformto a waiting receiving pocket.

The receiving pocket is conveniently one of a series formed on anintermittently movable chain conveyor arranged to run alongside theintermediate platform, the batches subsequently being transferred fromthe conveyor pockets to the pockets of the wrapping member. The forwardface of the batch on the intermediate platform acts as a temporary guidefor the batch in the conveyor pocket as the conveyor moves to carry thebatch one stage forward. Forwardly of the transfer position and up tothe position where the batch is transferred to the wrapping member, theconveyor is provided with a side guide on both sides of the conveyor inthe usual way.

The collecting channel is conveniently constituted by a stationarysupporting platform and a vertically movable channel section the sidewalls of which constitute the side walls of the channel. The channelsection may be mounted in a vertical slideway and operated by arotatable cam. The side walls of the channel need only extend upwardlyover a portion (say about a third) of the height of the articles.

The transferring means may consist of a transverse pusher carried by acam-operated arm, the pusher having a forward extension arranged toengage the upper surfaces of the articles during the pushing action. Toavoid interference with the articles by the forward extension during theretracting movement of the pusher, the latter may be pivotally mountedon the arm and arranged to be lifted at the end of the forward stroke bya cam-operated link.

The invention has been found particularly useful as applied to acombined apparatus for wrapping individual toflees cut in successionfrom a strip, and collecting batches of the wrapped toffees and wrappingthe batches, the wrapped toffees being fed directly from the individualwrapping machine on to the collecting channel and transferred in batchesin the above manner to a pocketed feed conveyor of the batch wrappingmachine.

Such an application of the invention will now be described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1is an elevation of part of the combined apparatus showing mechanism forcollecting and transferring the batches,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG- URE l in the directionof the arrow, and

FIGURE 3 is a plan of the apparatus.

Sweets 11 pass from the individual wrapping mechanism (not shown) alonga delivery channel 12 to a collecting channel consisting of a stationaryplatform 13 and movable side guides 14, the latter being mounted on avertically movable slide bar 16 carrying a roller \17 arranged to engagea rotatable cam 18 secured to a cam shaft 19, the slide bar being guidedby slots 21 engaging guide blocks 22 mounted one on the cam shaft 19 andthe other on a rock shaft 23. The sweets 11 pass from the deliverychannel 12 into an arcuate chute 24 down which they are assisted by anoscillating deflecting member 26, the sweets 11 changing from ahorizontal to an upright position during movement down the chute 2-4.The deflecting member 26 is formed on an arm 27 pivotally mounted in abracket 28 by means of a shaft 29, the arm 27 having an extension 31connected by a pivoted link 32 to a cam-operated arm (not shown).

The platform .13 terminates in an end stop 33 in substantial alignmentwith a guide wall 34 on an intermediate platform 36 having a furtherguide Wall 37 so positioned in relation to the number of sweets in abatch as to constrain the successive batches in an endwise direction.

The deflecting member 26 sweeps successive sweets 11 down the chute 24,each successive sweet 11 pushing the preceding sweet or partially formedbatch forward along the platform 13. As the leading sweet 11 reaches thestop 33, the slide 16 is operated by the cam 18 to lower the side guides14 and a pusher 38, of a length appropriate to the number of sweets in abatch, than opcrates, in timed relationship with the deflecting member26, to transfer the batch from the platform :13 to the intermediateplatform 36, the batch pushing any preceding batch from the intermediateplatform 36 into a waiting pocket 39 of an intermittently movableconveyor 41, the latter serving to forward the successive batches to thebatch-wrapping mechanism (not shown).

The pusher 38 is mounted on a link 42, pivotally attached at 43 and 44to a link 46 and an arm 47, respectively, the pusher being formed with aforward extension 48 adapted to engage the upper face of the batchduring the pushing action. The arm 47 is pivoted on a shaft 49 andcarries a roller 51 arranged to engage the face of a rotatable cam 52mounted on the shaft 19, while the link 46 is pivotally attached to anoperating arm 53 pivotally mounted on the shaft 23 and having anextension 54 carrying a roller 56 arranged to engage a rotatable cam 57mounted on the shaft 19. The relative timing of the cams 5-2 and 57 issuch as to cause the pusher 38 to move horizontally during the pushingstroke and to lift at the end of the pushing stroke to avoidinterference with the oncoming sweets 11 during the retracting movementof the pusher 38.

I claim:

1. A wrapping machine of the kind referred to, comprising a collectingchannel adapted to receive articles in succession end to end to formsuccessive batches, said channel having at least one of its side wallsmovable upwardly and downwardly, an intermediate platform arrangedalongside the channel, an intermittently moving 3 conveyor havingreceiving pockets extending along said platform at the side thereofopposite from said channel, means for moving the movable side walldownwardly clear of each successive batch as it is formed, pusher meansfor transferring the batch transversely from the open side of thechannel on to the intermediate platform, and means associated with theintermediate platform for endwise constraining the successive batches,said pusher means acting through each successive batch as same is beingtransferred to the intermediate platform, to transfer the precedingbatch from the intermediate platform to one of said receiving pockets.

2. A wrapping machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the collectingchannel is constituted by a stationary supporting platform and avertically movable channel section the side walls of which constitutethe side walls of the channel.

3. A wrapping machine as in claim 2, wherein the channel section ismounted in a vertical slideway and operated by a rotatable earn.

4. A wrapping machine as in claim 1, wherein the transferring pushermeans consists of a transverse pusher carried by a cam-operated arm, thepusher having a forward extension arranged to engage the upper surfacesof the articles during the pushing action. 7

5. A wrapping machine as in claim 4, wherein the pusher is pivotallymounted on the arm and arranged to be lifted at the end of the forwardstroke by a cam-operate-d link.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,678,151 Geisler May 11, 1954 2,681,171 Brown June 15, 1954 2,825,193Loveridge Mar. 4,1958

1. A WRAPPING MACHINE OF THE KIND REFERRED TO, COMPRISING A COLLECTINGCHANNEL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ARTICLES IN SUCCESSION END TO END TO FORMSUCCESSIVE BATCHES, SAID CHANNEL HAVING AT LEAST ONE OF ITS SIDE WALLSMOVABLE UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY, AN INTERMEDIATE PLATFORM ARRANGEDALONGSIDE THE CHANNEL, AN INTERMITTENTLY MOVING CONVEYOR HAVINGRECEIVING POCKETS EXTENDING ALONG SAID PLATFORM AT THE SIDE THEREOFOPPOSITE FROM SAID CHANNEL, MEANS FOR MOVING THE MOVABLE SIDE WALLDOWNWARDLY CLEAR OF EACH SUCCESSIVE BATCH AS IT IS FORMED, PUSHER MEANSFOR TRANSFERRING THE BATCH TRANSVERSELY FROM THE OPEN SIDE OF THECHANNEL ON TO THE INTERMEDIATE PLATFORM, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THEINTERMEDIATE PLATFORM FOR ENDWISE CONSTRAINING THE SUCCESSIVE BATCHES,SAID PUSHER MEANS ACTING THROUGH EACH SUCCESSIVE BATCH AS SAME IS BEINGTRANSFERRED TO THE INTERMEDIATE PLATFORM, TO TRANSFER THE PRECEDINGBATCH FROM THE INTERMEDIATE PLATFORM TO ONE OF SAID RECEIVING POCKETS.